At 3 PM, a reply came from the Kingdom of Clark: [The spatial seal has been lifted, and the teleportation channel is open.]
Did Arthur need such a complicated procedure to visit Albert before?
Li Aili frowned slightly.
How long has it been since I last visited Albert in the capital?
Why has the relationship between the two sides become so tense?
She looked up at Arthur beside her.
His Excellency the Duke remained as enigmatic as ever, his handsome and resolute profile revealing nothing about him.
But Li Aili had a gut feeling that her husband wasn't in a good mood.
Having received a response from the capital, the Duke swung his sword, slicing a perfect 'square door' in the air as easily as cutting tofu.
Behind the 'Four-Sided Gate', the capital of Clark was shrouded in continuous rain.
It seems that ever since Albert announced his return in such a high-profile manner, the dark clouds over the capital have never dissipated.
The tall, dark-haired man pulled his wife to his side, carefully protecting her, and together they stepped into the portal.
Stepping out of the portal, two teams of fully armed undead knights formed two separate groups.
Upon seeing His Highness Duke Arthur Saint Dragon, they all drew the ceremonial longswords from their waists.
Swish, swish, swish!
The Holy Dragon's silver blades formed 'Cambridge'.
Li Aili had been to the capital many times, but this was the first time she had seen such a scene.
The Duke's deep blue eyes looked past the undead knight's raised silver longsword and straight at 'Brandon', who was standing on the other side waiting to greet him.
Or perhaps, it represents Victoria's image as a man in public.
"Do I need to be 'hospitalized' with this level of formality just for coming here?" the Duke asked.
Brandon explained, "Your Highness, we are simply restoring the glory of the Holy Dragon."
Indeed, the more prosperous an empire is, the more red tape it has.
Li Aili frowned slightly upon hearing this.
She had seen such a ceremony when she lived in the Holy Dragon Palace, where the Perkins would host such a welcoming procession whenever the 'Pillars of the Nation' who guarded distant territories returned.
Even Li Aili, who had no experience in palace intrigue, knew that Albert was using this 'subtle' way to confirm his position with Arthur.
He, Albert, was the eldest son, the first in line to the throne, and the monarch of the empire.
Arthur, the second son, was a duke who had been granted a fiefdom and a subject of the empire.
Li Aili gripped Arthur's fingers tightly.
Arthur then snapped out of his thoughts.
Beneath the imperial silver blade lies the reward for meritorious service and the deterrence for those with ulterior motives.
Looking at the gleaming silver blades above their heads, Li Aili wondered whether Albert wanted to reward them or intimidate them.
After his initial show of force, Brandon came up and greeted them warmly, "Arthur, Ellie."
The undead following him coughed. This guy was one of Albert's confidants, I think his name was Pandogri, and his father was the "Copper Pillar" guarding the south.
The reason why Li Aili was so impressed with him was simple: every time Lord Pandogrey saw Arthur, he would transform into…
Pandogri: "Look who this is?"
"Look, isn't this our Prince Arthur?"
Pandogri's tone was sarcastic, and the dense black aura of the dead emanating from his body was about to turn into black flames.
……cockfighting.
At first glance, Pandogrey really does look like a fighting rooster with its claws outstretched.
Ignoring the other party's age-old provocation, Arthur said to Brandon, "I hope it hasn't come to the point where I need an appointment to see Albert."
“Why not? You…” Pandogrey was about to spit out ink, but Brandon quickly covered his mouth.
Brandon chuckled awkwardly. "Of course not, Arthur. You two will always be brothers by blood."
Arthur looked at Brandon with his blue eyes. "Oh, so he still considers me a brother."
Brandon looked away and gestured for him to enter. “Your Highness has been waiting for quite some time, Your Highness Arthur.”
Li Aili, who was standing nearby, watched their conversation and felt that Brandon and Arthur were not as close as before.
Inside the Platinum Kremlin, there's a Death Knight every five steps and a necromancer every ten steps, creating a sense of 'staggered order'.
Albert was like the emperors of old, either on the road to war or 'camping out' in his study.
The study door was wide open, and on the desk facing the door were stacks of documents waiting to be annotated.
With so many documents, even someone as tall as Li Aili couldn't spot Albert buried in the paperwork at first glance.
“Ellie, Arthur, you’ve arrived.” Albert stood up.
When he stood up, his bones made a crisp 'crack' sound.
“…Hiss, I think I’ve been sitting for too long.” Albert tried to shift his waist as he controlled the floating quill pen to write on a document—'hanging'.
Li Aili's gaze moved from the light, quick handwriting.
He quickly glanced at the contents of the document.
It is likely that within the Ponceë Empire, which was occupied by an army of the undead, some nobles were secretly drinking, attempting to worship the god of wine...
The names on it were a long string, taking up two-thirds of the parchment, and Li Aili felt her scalp tingle.
“Ellie?” Albert looked at her gently.
Li Aili stopped her wandering thoughts, rolled up the parchment scroll again, and placed it among the pile of 'processed' documents.
"I'll ask again, was the trip to the dungeon interesting?" Albert asked patiently once more.
With a creaking sound of bones, the undead servants immediately tidied up the coffee table in the study's rest area, set out the various desserts they had brought, and of course, a large pot of steaming highland black tea.
The deceased carefully held the spoon from the sugar jar, his dark, hollow eyes 'looking' at Li Aili, as if asking 'how many spoonfuls of sugar?'
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